Wind tower could power all of WRHS

It all depends on how long it takes to obtain permits, complete the bidding process, construct a test tower and analyze the data, but Wachusett Regional High School could be seeing the end of its approximately $250,000 annual light bill in as little as two years.

The district has hired PLACES Site Consultants Inc. of Holden to design and construct the project, provided the hill behind the high school near the track field is a suitable spot to convert breezes into electricity.

Based on preliminary work the company did pro bono for the school district, PLACES believes the right sized wind tower could supply all the school’s electricity needs — inside and out — potentially with an excess that could be sold. A smaller tower would supply a portion of the school’s needs, while a larger one would definitely produce more than it needs. In an independent report, University of Massachusetts at Amherst engineers came to the same conclusion.

Wind towers in North Dakota, Kansas and Texas could power the entire United States, they said, but only three areas in Massachusetts — the Berkshires, the seacoast and the mid-state ridge including Mount Wachusett and the WRHS property — can supply enough wind to provide significant power.

Last month, the School Committee approved Superintendent Thomas Pandiscio’s recommendation to put the project of constructing a meterology test tower out to bid, to gather data for a year that would tell engineers just how much wind energy the site can harness.

If the tower data confirm the feasibility study, the district can pursue state and federal grants, and fund the rest of the project at low interest rates available to municipalities.

The meterology tower will be approximately 200 feet high, and would be replaced with a turbine wind tower of 390-400 feet (including blades) to supply WRHS power. That’s the size of the two towers recently erected on Mount Wachusett in Princeton, Murray said, but the high school site would only support one tower, since they should be placed thousands of feet apart.

“It [the tower] could be as small as 300 feet,” said Murray. “You’ve got good wind up there. They could do a smaller tower, but it wouldn’t serve the needs of the entire campus.”

The entire construction project will cost an estimated $5.4 million.

The tower size will be the school district’s decision. Early on, Murray said, “How do you make money with wind energy? Well, basically, you sell it.” Later in the presentation he said, “Our focus is to supply your energy needs, not on using it as a money-maker.”

Holden WRSDC representative Stacey Jackson noted that the district is already spending about $300,000 per year for WRHS electricity, when it would cost approximately $250,000 per year to pay off loans.

Bonds would be taken out for one, three or five years, Murray said, and at the same time, the district would earn green energy tax credits.